Timeframe: December 2024 – December 2027
Donor: European Union
Project Coordinator: International Police Organization - INTERPOL
Project Partner: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime - UNODC
The situation
The illicit proliferation and trafficking of firearms remain a significant threat to global peace, security and development, fueling organized crime, terrorism, and armed conflicts. Weapons diverted from legal stockpiles and conflict zones—such as Afghanistan, Ukraine, and parts of Africa—sustain criminal networks and drive transnational trafficking.
Tackling this issue requires urgent, coordinated international action to enhance detection, tracing, and enforcement. Strengthening institutions, improving cross-border cooperation, and promoting intelligence-led investigations are crucial to mitigating these risks and ensuring long-term stability.
With EU support, INTERPOL launched the iARMS project in 2011 to create the world’s only global illicit Arms Records and Tracing Management System, operational since 2013. The project has evolved through multiple phases:
- Phase I (2011-2013): Development and launch of the iARMS database.
- Phases II and III (2013-2016): Awareness raising, capacity building, and partnership development.
- Phase IV (2017-2021): Expansion of iARMS, creation of the INTERPOL Firearms Protocol, and advanced training on firearms trafficking investigations.
Now in its fifth phase, the project continues to build on previous successes, further strengthening global efforts to combat illicit firearms trafficking.
Project aims
With the view to reduce global trafficking in small arms and light weapons (SALW), and considering the threat of uncontrolled proliferation of weapons from conflict zones, the project will prioritize its action in hotspot regions identified as high risk. Based on the geopolitical contexts, Europe, Asia, and Africa will be initial priority areas of focus for the project.
The project will address:
1. The level of resilience of these regions against SALW trafficking;
2. The level of criminal activities in these regions through disruptive activities targeted to organized crime groups and terrorist armed groups engaged in SALW trafficking.
Project activities
INTERPOL and UNODC will aim to strengthen resilience against SALW trafficking by enhancing international cooperation and intelligence sharing. Key actions include:
- Securing national firearms registries: Establishing a registry to track and trace firearms to prevent their proliferation and trafficking.
- Strengthening law enforcement structures: Enhancing law enforcement capacities to investigate firearms trafficking, including improving international cooperation and information sharing.
- Addressing firearm diversion: Jointly with UNODC, monitoring and analyzing diversion risks, supporting analysis, and promoting cooperation to reduce the threat of firearms diversion.
- Criminal Analysis: Setting up a global Criminal Analysis File (CAF) to coordinate operational actions, monitor international illicit arms flows, and provide intelligence to member countries to support ongoing investigations.
These measures aim to disrupt firearms trafficking and improve global security.
Beneficiary Regions
Africa, Europe and Central Asia.